Lock-in Effects of Road Expansion on CO2 Emissions : Results from a Core-periphery Model of Beijing

World Bank / by Alex Anas and Govinda R. Timilsina,
http://tinyurl.com/ylnjuu8
[Abstract] In the urban planning literature, it is frequently explicitly asserted or strongly implied that ongoing urban sprawl and decentralization can lead to development patterns that are unsustainable in the long run. One manifestation of such an outcome is that if extensive road investments occur, urban [...]

Energy Sprawl or Energy Efficiency: Climate Policy Impacts on Natural Habitat for the United States of America

PLoS One / by Robert I. McDonald, Joseph Fargione, Joe Kiesecker, William M. Miller, Jimmie Powell
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0006802
[Abstract]  Concern over climate change has led the U.S. to consider a cap-and-trade system to regulate emissions. Here we illustrate the land-use impact to U.S. habitat types of new energy development resulting from different U.S. energy policies. [...]

Frontiers in Soil Science Research : Report of a Workshop

National Research Council
http://tinyurl.com/m824gn
Free with registration
[Description] There has been renewed interest in soil and soil science in recent years as the recognition that biogeochemical processes that occur at the Earth’s surface influence global climate change, land degradation and remediation, the fate and transport of nutrients and contaminants, soil and water conservation, soil and water quality, food [...]

Climate Change : The Role of the U.S. Agriculture Sector and Congressional Action

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/RL33898/
[Summary] The agriculture sector is a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which many scientists agree are contributing to observed climate change. Agriculture is also a sink for sequestering carbon, which might offset GHG emissions by capturing and storing carbon in agricultural soils. The two key types of GHG emissions associated with [...]

Communities Tackle Global Warming : A Guide to California’s SB 375

Natural Resources Defense Council / by Tom Adams, Amanda Eaken and Ann Notthoff
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/sb375/files/sb375.pdf
“This publication by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) dated June 2009 is a guide to California’s Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act, or SB 375, the nation’s first legislation to link transportation and land use planning with global warming.
“The report claims that [...]

The Environmental Food Crisis: the Environment’s Role in Averting Future Food Crises

UN Environment Programme
http://www.grida.no/_res/site/file/publications/FoodCrisis_lores.pdf (pdf)
http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/ebook.aspx (ebook)
A new rapid response assessment report released by UNEP warns that up to 25% of the world’s food production may become lost due to environmental breakdown by 2050 unless action is taken. Prepared by the Rapid Response Assessment Team at UNEP/GRID-Arendal and UNEP-WCMC, the report provides the first summary by the [...]

Macro-micro Feedback Links of Water Management in South Africa : CGE Analyses of Selected Policy Regimes

World Bank / by R. Hassan, J. Thurlow, T. Roe, X. Diao, X., S. Chumi and Y. Tsur
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/IW3P/IB/2008/11/04/000158349_20081104093521/Rendered/PDF/WPS4768.pdf
[Summary]  The pressure on an already stressed water situation in South Africa is predicted to increase significantly under climate change, plans for large industrial expansion, observed rapid urbanization, and government programs to provide access to water to millions [...]

Environmental Effects of Agricultural Land-Use Change: The Role of Economics and Policy

USDA Economic Research Service / by Ruben N. Lubowski, Shawn Bucholtz, Roger Claassen, Michael J. Roberts, Joseph C. Cooper, Anna Gueorguieva,
and Robert Johansson
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err25/err25.pdf
[Abstract] If cropland that shifts in and out of production is less productive and more environmentally sensitive than other cropland, policy-induced changes in land use could have production effects that are smaller—and environmental [...]

DOI Climate Change Task Force Draft Subcommittee Reports

US Geological Survey
http://www.usgs.gov/global_change/doi_taskforce.asp
[Website] Visit the site to comment on the reports below:
* Report of the Subcommittee on Land and Water Management
An Analysis of Climate Change Impacts and Options Relevant to the Department of the Interior’s Managed Lands and Waters
* Report of the Subcommittee on Law and Policy
An Analysis of Climate Change Impacts and Options Relevant [...]

STEWARDS: Sustaining the Earth’s Watersheds, Agricultural Research Data System

USDA Agricultural Research Service
http://arsagsoftware.ars.usda.gov/stewards/index.asp
[From website] A team within the Conservation Effects Assessment Project – Watershed Assessment Studies has developed a web-based data delivery system to provide access to soil, water, climate, land-management, and socio-economic data from fourteen watersheds. The system allows a variety of users to search, visualize, and download data via the internet. STEWARDS [...]